It's What We Are
by shellehyn
Summary: Madmen don't need a reason...Some short moments in the minds of the villains of Batman and sometimes in the mind of the vigilante himself.
1. The gift of God: The Joker

**AN: The first of these is in the mind of The Joker. I've never written any sort of story or fanfic before, but I suddenly started trying my hand at a couple of shorts and this is what I came up with. The writing of this is slightly like a poem, but there isn't really a flow to it or anything, it's really just fragmented writing. I hope that this gives off a Joker feel and that I didn't make anything too confusing. I don't think I tied the idea of this one too well, but I do like certain parts of this. Please enjoy the first chapter!!**

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Laughter.

God's greatest gift to man.

Truly, what I love most about this world

Is the Comedy

The Irony, the oh so not subtle Puns.

I love the shrieking laughter most.

The kind that makes your sides hurt

Until they feel like bursting.

But the laughter can't stop there

Because the jokes are just too funny.

The world is an absolute laugh!

When the sides are aching

And the tears are falling

Falling.

The breathing-ragged.

Hands gripping for air that isn't there.

Can't. Stop. Laughing.

SMILE wider-tear, more tears!

Laughing, crying, laughing, SCREAMING

WANT IT TO STOP-BUT THE JOKE'S NOT OVER

JUST WAIT FOR THAT PUNCHLINE!

SOBBING AND GIGGLING-GASPING

AIR…HAHAHAHA….AHHA...HA

HARSH BREATHS, SMILING, SMILING

MORE LAUGHTER, LAUGHTER, LAUGHTER.

KEEP ON, KEEP-

He stops laughing.

His breathing is gone.

Silence.

The gas is all around us.

And there's a smile on both our faces.

Truly, what I love most about this world

Is the laughter.

Ha. Ha. Ha.


	2. My passion: The Scarecrow

**AN: This is told from the Scarecrow's view. I don't think I quite got the way he thinks down though. I tried to tie in his love for fear, but I didn't quite touch on it enough. Also, I'm not sure what Scarecrow is really really afraid of, I just thought that heights seemed to be a logical fear. In my mind, he's afraid of everything really so I just chose something that had to do with sleep walking. Scarecrow is talking to an unknown person in this, it doesn't really matter who. I hope I made him in character, I'm still learning how to get different voices into the people I'm writing about. ^^**

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When I was young

I would often walk in my sleep.

I never went far, but I always awoke with fright.

I was always somewhere up high.

The heights…

Oh it was just too much.

My dreams were like the rest of me then.

Unclean. Unpolished. Unrefined.

I was always too afraid to fall asleep.

But it was because of these dreams that I realized

My passion.

I wanted to understand the dreams

The fears, the fantasies, the hopes.

I wanted it all.

So I tested out my theories on you.

How would you react to my fears?

How badly would they screw _you _over?

I wanted to know.

Did you like my fantasies?

Did you scream when you saw her?

What about my hopes?

I bet you loved those too.

Your eyes say it all.

My fears, fantasies, hopes

What did they do to you?

What do yours do to you?

I have to know.

Scared? But why?

Fear is such a friendly and loving thing.

Don't you like that?

Don't you like my theories?

Hm? No, of course not.

You wouldn't. Never did.

But the only thing to fear is fear itself.

And I haven't even begun to show you what it can do.


	3. Dummy: Scarface

**AN: Woo, it's Scarface! Ugh, I've always been afraid of this character. Puppets used to scare me, and Scarface is no exception. He still frightens me. I always thought it was creepy how Scarface would call Arnold Wesker the dummy, when it was the other way around. I also always found the schizophrenic aspect of Arnold freaky to the max. I tried to put that into this, but I think I went on too long with it. Hopefully it doesn't feel dragging or anything.**

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A Dummy.

Just a sweaty, over sized dummy.

Good for nothing squealer

Always whinin', always cryin'.

Dummy, dummy, dummy.

Don't know why I keep 'im around.

Out of pity.

I'm such a saint.

Such a dummy with a guy like me

Ain't what he deserves.

Quit screamin', Dummy!

You're drivin' me nuts!

A bullet to the brain s'all I did.

So quit yappin', cryin', thinkin'

An clean all that off.

Good for nothin'.

Dumb Dummy.

Havin' to carry me.

Makes me sick, such a wimp.

Me, stuck with 'im.

People think I can't talk

Think Dummy does it.

Blah, blah they ain't know nothin'.

He ain't know nothin'.

I do everythin'.

He just cries.

He ain't a human.

Just lifeless.

A Dummy.


	4. Oh you: The Joker

**AN: Another Joker one, 'cause I love him. I like this one better than the other one. I feel like I was able to get how I think the Joker talks/acts better in this one. But, even though I made him say things like 'honey' and 'love', I don't mean for this to be slash. Joker just likes to mess with Batman and him saying such "sweet" things just seem really fitting for their relationship/connection/thing (I have no idea how to explain it, haha). I think that the Joker does love Batman, but not in a sexual way. I can't really explain it, but I just imagine Joker having this warped affection for Bats. And I can imagine him saying they're friends and stuff like that or something. You can take this however you want though (when I read it again it does seem overly-slashy xD) **

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Hey, honey, did you get my message?

Ha ha! Of course you did.

You came here, after all.

Oh you.

You never disappoint me.

You're always so punctual and on time.

I love it.

I love you.

You're my sweetheart, my one and only.

Too bad you don't ever come to me willingly.

I always have to get a rise out of you, don't I?

Ha ha ha! Oh but I love that!

I blow someone's head off and you always come to get me.

Yes, come get me.

Break me, yell at me.

Dance with me Batsy.

Let's move to our song.

Hee hee hee, you're such a charmer.

Saving the world, fighting murderers.

Dressed in darkness.

Ha ha ha! Go on! Beat me up!

Do your worst!

Oh we both know you'll be doing this again tomorrow night.

It's the game we play, you and me.

Yes, it is our game.

You knew I didn't kill anyone.

But you came here today.

And I love that you did.

Because I know I affect you so much.

I'm so much of your life, Bats…

And you're so much of mine.

Ha hee ha, Gotham is our stage, partner!

And the citizens are all part of our show!

And it's a challenge you see.

Which one of us can cross the line first?

Which one of us can break out of our routine?

Ha ha! Oh but I don't have a routine.

Just you.

You got my message, right?

The stage is all set.

It's just us now.

Come on, partner.

Let's begin.


	5. Because of fate: Batman and Two Face

**AN: This is told from Batman's view (kind of. He's the 'you' in this). This is my attempt at writing in a format that isn't so...poemy/fragmented (if that makes sense). I have a hard time writing like this, I don't know why. It's just difficult for me to make thoughts connect with one another sometimes, so a lot of this may be choppy. I also had no idea how to make Two Face/Harvey talk. I love the guy, but I'm at loss when it comes to actually thinking of my own dialogue for him. So...I don't know if he came out good. Like, I didn't know if he would say 'I' and 'me' since he's two people, so I just made him speak with 'our' and 'we' because I felt that that fit. Batman is difficult too. I like thinking of him angsting so I tried to get that in there, but it didn't quite flow like I wanted, I'll need to work on that. Also, the ending is a bit abrupt, sorry. ^^ I felt it should end there, but I don't know. Annnnd Mr. Markov is just a random name I made up for a random guy. :)**

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"Don't shoot him, Harvey!"

You say this, but you know it won't do any good. He'll shoot him anyway; you just hope he won't kill him. There's a gun to the crying man's head and in a way you know he deserves it. He's corrupt and you're sure he's killed a few men himself at one point, but you still think he should just go to jail. Then again, you're pretty sure you wouldn't miss him if he was dead. But you don't want his death on your hands, and you know that letting him die wouldn't be justice, wouldn't be right. You still try to believe that everyone deserves a chance, but the thought sounds so naïve now.

"His death won't be _our_ choice," you hear a gruff voice say. _Two-Face_, you think. But really, he's just Harvey Dent. Harvey Dent with a different idea of justice, different idea of what the world is like. It's amazing how two personalities that are so different can be inside one man's head. It's amazing how ironic it all is too.

Two Face's mouth is warped and his skin looks like it might be oozing. There's a coin in his hand and you can hear the scratchiness of his voice as he tells you about fate."It's the coin's decision. _It_ will decide this man's fate. It's only fair after all."He sounds almost amused at his last comment. A coin deciding a man's fate is ridiculous. And yet you can't help but want to believe in his thinking. You almost wish life could be so simple, only two choices neither wrong nor right. Just fair. You clench your teeth as you jump down to where Two Face–Harvey–is. The gun in Harvey's hand tightens its grip.

"Harvey," you start, but it seems almost wrong to address him as that. He really isn't Harvey anymore. "You can't let a coin decide whether a man should live or die. You're not a murderer, don't do this." This sounds like words you've said before, countless times, words you've used over and over to plead with this man. And they never worked. But you're still holding hope for him to hear you and realize he's still Harvey, still your friend. It's moments like this that you almost forget who you are. You forget that Harvey knew Bruce Wayne, not Batman. You look at Harvey and his other half and you want to fall to your knees at the irony of all this. Both of you have two sides, both of you share so much in common. Two Face and Batman, both created by men who wanted justice, wanted to make the city right. You wonder what makes the two of you different. Is there a difference? Your sympathy only reaches out so far though before you see Two Face flip his coin.

"It's whatever fate decides, Batman. We're just here to help the outcome arrive. Let's see what God has decided for you, Mr. Markov."

The crying man wails and screams again. The coin flips and flips in the air. It's strange how an article of money can seem to have so much power. You want to pry the gun from Harvey's hand, but you know that will only seal the man's fate. The smallest movement from you could sign this man's death warrant and you know it won't be good. So you wait. When the coin lands Two Face will give the verdict and Harvey will be the executioner. You hate how this feels so familiar.

Harvey's hand moves slightly, and you hope that the coin won't be unforgiving. You hope it won't decide death. Two Face's hand uncovers the coin, and you feel helpless in this whole scene. Fate is fate, but it shouldn't go like this. It isn't something that should be decided by money of all things. A gunshot is the only warning you get before Mr. Markov's body is limp and his wailing has turned to silence. There's so much blood. You push the thought of your parents out of your mind. This feels all too familiar.

"Looks like God couldn't save you," Two Face's words cut through the quiet and you're on him faster than you can think. The gun is pried from Harvey's hand and you try not to think about how you could've done this sooner, could've saved that man. Saved that bastard's life, if only just so that Harvey wouldn't be a murderer. So that you wouldn't be a murderer. You were too late again.

"It was fate Batman!" You hear Harvey say through the acid voice. "It was fate that made him what he was, fate that killed him! Fate that made us what we are, fate, fate, fate, planned by the hand of that corrupted God. We were damned the moment we were born. Our fate was to become this. It was fate that ruined our face, made us what we are! We were destined for this!"

"It wasn't fate that made you kill! Why do this, Harvey!?" You're yelling and you've got him against the wall. The blood that's coming from Harvey's nose is ugly and wrong, the perfect half of his face is ruined. Two Face is still oozing, only now he's oozing blood. You don't want to think about what you're doing. No matter who Harvey was, he's a criminal now, he needs to be restrained, he can't be allowed to do others harm. But it still stings when you hit him again.

Harvey's–Two Face's–eyes are on you again. And you see the tears in their eyes, tears that shouldn't have to be there. "It was," you hear their voice say. "It really was fate. We should've died, but now we're just waiting for death to come. It was only by chance we survived, turned into this. Yes, that man had a chance too, but looks like nothing could save him either. In our eyes…he's lucky."

Your grip on him loosens and you let him fall to the ground. The words ring through the night. All you can think of is how, whether it was fate or not, _you_ weren't able to save this man. Save a friend, a man who could have made a difference. You think of the blood of Mr. Markov, the blood of your father, the blood of your mother. You couldn't save them either.

You wonder if that was fate too.


	6. Patient Interview: The Scarecrow

**Okay, so here's another Scarecrow, hopefully this one is better than the first xD I got the idea for this from The Arkham Asylum video game. My favorite part about the game was finding the interview tapes, and I loved all of them. I just wish there were more of them xD So yeah, I'm going to say that this was before Crane actually became known as a criminal. This is probably still when he was a doctor and was just learning how to experiment with his fear toxins. I don't know if he's ever transferred the gas into pills or whatever so I just sort of made that up. I hope it's not too far fetched. Crane's dialouge is in normal font (except for at the end) and the patient's is in itallics fyi :P I hope that this is in character! and I hope that it isn't too abrupt or anything. :)**

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**Patient Interview #15: Jeremy Green, February 3**

Good day, Jeremy, I heard you had a nightmare again.

What happened?

_Oh doctor, it was awful! Awful!_

_I saw **him** again! The straw man was here!_

_It wasn't a dream!!_

Calm down Jeremy, easy breaths.

What did he do?

_He-he-the snakes! They were everywhere!_

He had snakes with him?

_They were his hands! His hands!_

_Oh doc, it was awful!_

There, there, Jeremy.

The snakes didn't harm you and you know no one is allowed in here.

It was probably another dream.

_But it wasn't Dr. Crane. He was HERE._

_Please…make him go away._

I will Jeremy, don't worry.

This man, you called him "straw man".

What did you mean?

_He's–he's made of–of straw or somethin…and–and snakes–and…oh God, he was everywhere!!_

Straw? Jeremy, he doesn't sound like a man, just a scarecrow.

A scarecrow can't hurt you.

_B-But Doc! He-He-!_

It's alright. I'll give you some medicine to make him go away.

It was just a dream.

You have nothing to fear.

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**Patient Jeremy Green died at 4:17 AM, February 4.**

**Cause: heart attack.**

**Guards heard him screaming.**

**Heard him scream, "Scarecrow".**

Dr. Jonathan Crane clutches his briefcase in his hand

And idly chews on a piece of straw.


	7. The Asylum: Batman

**I love Batman. xD poor guy has to deal with so many loonies. This one is real simple though, I just wanted to mess with the asylum idea and Batman and his worries about his own sanity. And...I may have ended this too abruptly ( I have a problem with doing that). But, I hope it turned out cool anyway! :)**

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He's not afraid–

He's not.

But his stomach clenches

And his heart beats fast,

And he feels uncomfortable.

Always.

Because he's _here_.

Criminals,

Vile men and women,

They're all here.

Here, in Arkham.

He's...

He's not afraid–

He's not.

_Welcome home!_

_We've been waiting for you!_

He doesn't want to be here,

Criminals are everywhere.

Madmen are everywhere.

He's not…he's not afraid.

_Oh how we've missed you!_

_Your cell has been so cold…_

_We're so glad you're here._

_Oh we've missed you._

He shouldn't be here,

He wants to leave.

There is crime on the streets–

He needs to leave.

He's not afraid.

A clown's smile is talking, laughing.

_You're finally here where you belong._

_It's good to have you back._

He needs to leave.

He doesn't belong here

He isn't–

_Welcome home._

His stomach clenches

And he almost runs–

Runs out of there,

Out of Arkham.

Laughter follows his steps

And he's not afraid–

He's not.

He doesn't belong there.

He doesn't–

He–

...

He is afraid.

_Welcome home._


	8. Savior: Victor Zsasz

**So this is one for Zsasz, who I only discovered just recently because of the Arkham Asylum video game. I thought he was creepy to the max. xD his interview tapes were scary. But because I just now know about him, I don't know if this is really his thinking or not. I just went off of his background and what I got from the game, so I hope this is in character!**

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I am their savior.

I give them escape–

Release.

Away from this world,

Away from this meaningless existence.

I give them importance,

All of them.

A mark–a beautiful mark–

For every one of these–

..these zombies…

They are _so_ meaningless.

But I am their savior.

And I give them escape.

I give them–

Liberation.

Freedom.

Mankind has no one–

Nothing–

To give them peace,

To relieve them of these awful lives.

Lives filled with desire, desire.

SO MEANINGLESS.

But I–oh, but I,

I am their _savior._

And they are begging,

_Begging_ me.

I shall give them all sweet release.

And I will feel their pain–

Their beautiful pain–

All over my flesh.

Oh, they are begging so.

And I–

I am their savior.


	9. It's what we are: Two Face

**Yep, it's more Two-Face xD. I'm trying really hard to get to where I can write a really cool thing for Harv, but I'm still not quite getting it. I like this though, it's just not as crazy as I want it xD Two-Face is speaking in bold and Harvey is in normal font. It's short and the ending is probably abrupt, but I just couldn't find any better way to continue. So. I hope this is Two-Face-like enough!!**

**It's a curse.**

It–It isn't–

**You cannot get away.**

Breathe–just breathe–

**You are nothing.**

Don't–

**You have nothing.**

It's not–it's not–

**You deserve nothing.**

It can't be–he's–

**We are cursed.**

**We are damned.**

**We are nothing.**

**We have nothing.**

Please–it isn't–

**Cursed men deserve this.**

**Two halves–equal.**

**Absolute.**

I'm not–it isn't real it–

**Divided.**

**Equally.**

**So very.**

**Fair.**

No–this isn't–I'm not–

**We are one man.**

We are two–we're–

**We are order.**

I'm not–

Please, I'm not–

There is–

**There is no justice.**

There–

**Only chance.**

**Fate.**

**Our curse.**

**We are.**

**So very.**

**Fair.**

I–I–

**Breathe–just breathe.**

……Yes.

…I am cursed.

And we–

….we are damned.

_And the coin flips._


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